Community Stories
Share Your Thoughts on Saanich Climate Plan
The 2026 Climate Plan: 100% Renewable and Resilient Saanich will be presented to Saanich, BC Council on Monday, June 22nd for approval. Share your thoughts on the 2026 Climate Plan with Council, email council@saanich.ca. Attend the meeting in person or online (learn…
Indigenous Histories in Vancouver: Exploring the Places That Matter
In celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21, it is essential to recognize the impact of Indigenous heritage in Vancouver. This can be achieved by exploring the Vancouver Heritage Foundation’s “Places That Matter” project.
Stand Up for the Arts
The Province of BC’s Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services is seeking written input as part of their Budget 2027 consultation process. The BC Alliance for Arts + Culture encourages British Columbians to contribute toward the consultation…
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Earth For All Requires The Empowerment Of Women
The report’s authors stress the need for improvement in “women’s access to education, economic opportunities and dignified jobs, and all life’s chances that these bring.” The education and empowerment of women and their involvement in the economy, they note, is strongly linked to reduced fertility rates and a reduction in population size.
A Quick Glance At Glacier Media’s Real Estate Connections
Glacier Media is the parent company of the Times Colonist. Both Glacier and the TC are paying members of the UDI development/Real Estate lobby and the TC is an open “Media Partner” with it, which has raised serious questions for many about its independence
News Is Blocked On Social Media in Canada… Now What?
Did you hear? Meta and Google are blocking news in Canada in response to the Online News Act (Bill C-18). It’s scary living in a time when companies have so much power over what news we take in online. We aren’t exactly sure what to do about it, but here are some…
Toward A Just Transformation To Earth For All
In the past few weeks, I have been stressing the need for a rapid transformation of our society if we are to ensure people around the world can have good lives within planetary boundaries. A recent article in a (British) Royal Society journal by Prof. Timothy Lenton, a leading Earth-system scientist…
Improving Urbanism in a Time of Climate Change and Housing Need
Renowned city planner, Brent Toderian, recently shared this insightful presentation to Langford. He has done a lot of work internationally in both large and small communities with a focus on the climate crisis. Here is the video (start at about the 7 minute mark).
Biosolids are Everyone’s Issue
Biosolids are the dried residual of sewage sludge generated from a waste water treatment plant, such as McLoughlin Point in Esquimalt, BC. Biosolids contain toxic chemicals and micro plastics which do not break down in the environment – hence their name, ‘forever…
BC is Burning – An Open Letter to Premier Eby
Eby Fiddles While BC Burns BC is on fire and you, Premier Eby, are busy fiddling while our forests burn. Your commitment to protect old-growth forest has gone up in flames just like 1.5 million hectares already burned this season. With more than 1,200 fires since…
The Great Transformation We Need Must Be Socially Just
Last week I looked at the 1977 Science Council of Canada report “Canada as a Conserver Society.” The report recommended “Canadians as individuals, and their governments, institutions, and industries, begin the transition from a consumer society preoccupied with resource exploitation to a conserver society engaged in more constructive endeavours.”
Advocating for People, Planet and Place Over Profit
I want to share my thoughts on the recent Community Amenity Contribution (CAC) and Inclusionary Housing Policy decision of July 17, 2023. This decision has reduced CACs by 60% (although it includes a review in 1 year) from what was presented to council in March 2023….
We Need To Talk About Wildfires (and the Media)
You may have seen the news about devastating wildfires raging in Hawaii right now, with one town (Lahaina) being burnt down almost entirely. With wildfires happening across Canada this summer, displacing people in BC, Alberta and Nova Scotia, it’s hard to not feel…
Transforming Communities with Art: A Toolkit for Educators & Leaders
This Masterclass explores the transformative power of art and how it can create change in your school, community, city, and beyond! Are you struggling to create real impact in the communities you serve? In this free 3-day virtual workshop we will give you the tools…
How To Save Oodles of Precious Water!
Residents throughout BC were recently asked to start conserving water. Bowinn Ma, our new minister of emergency management and climate readiness, said water supply is already extremely low in much of the province. All of Vancouver Island is now at Drought Level 5, the…
